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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. craft — a skill
  3. lean — thin
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mate — to breed
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. mate — a partner
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rock — a stone
  20. squash — to crush
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cue — a signal
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com